Coming soon? WSDOT plans demolition of viaduct

Plans call for demo work to begin after the new tunnel opens to traffic, but will likely take up to nine months

Updated 3:56 pm, Monday, July 31, 2017

Big changes are coming to Seattle’s waterfront. Soon after the SR 99 tunnel opens to traffic, demolition crews will set their sights on the Alaskan Way Viaduct. This video provides a brief overview of what the public can expect, and what WSDOT will do to minimize the effects of demolition on buildings and people. -WSDOT

Media: WSDOT

With Bertha's work done and efforts at building the highway inside the tunnel moving forward, Washington's Department of Transportation is ready to start talking about tearing down the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Yep, tearing it down.

The new state Route 99 tunnel is set to open to traffic sometime in the first half of 2019, and right on the heels of that, WSDOT will have contractors set about the nine-month task of demolishing the viaduct.

To prepare for what is expected to be a major disturbance (to say the least) along the waterfront, WSDOT plans to open an online open house starting Thursday.

New and old teeth from the tunneling machine, Bertha, are displayed for journalists before a press conference on site.

New and old teeth from the tunneling machine, Bertha, are displayed for journalists before a press conference on site.

Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM

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A secondary grouting port leaks before it self-seals.

A secondary grouting port leaks before it self-seals.

Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM

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The tunnel stretches southward.

The tunnel stretches southward.

Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM

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The tunnel stretches southward.

The tunnel stretches southward.

Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM

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Coming soon? WSDOT plans demolition of viaduct

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WSDOT promises it will always keep at least one lane moving in each direction along Alaskan Way during demolition, and the contractor will have incentives to complete the work faster than nine months, said Brian Nielsen, a deputy administrator for WSDOT, in a video about the demolition.

Undoubtedly, WSDOT will have to coordinate closely with Washington State Ferries during the work, as WSF is in the midst of a five-year effort to rebuild Colman Dock, and has already shifted holding lanes off the dock to the area where WSDOT will need to move Alaskan Way traffic.

This also won't be the first time WSDOT has torn down part of the viaduct. Contractors shredded the southern mile of the viaduct in 2011, an effort WSDOT managed to get done faster than planned, it said in a news release.

Watch the video above to learn a bit more about what the demo will entail and then check back to the open house once it's live.